We're kicking off the New Year by celebrating the rich maker and artisan communities of Massachusetts! The Commonwealth's vibrant arts and culture scene thrives thanks to a tradition of fostering creativity and talent. Some bespoke goods have been crafted for decades, like the lightship baskets of Nantucket, while newcomer artisans are introducing fresh ideas at local craft fairs and open studios. Discover a few makers in the "Made in Massachusetts" segment of 5 Things: Winter, or browse through upcoming Arts and Culture events to find your new favorites. Or flex your skills with a workshop to let your inner maker shine!

For more on what to see + do in Massachusetts, visit massvacation.com. 

January on Martha's Vineyard means beautiful, wide open spaces, miles of hiking trails, and fabulous local food near cozy roaring fireplaces. Additionally, the Martha's Vineyard Film Center shows opera performances, a series called MET Live, and on January 27 a special viewing of Puccini's Tosca, a melodramatic piece set in Rome in 1800, with the Napoli king's control of Rome threatened by napoleon's invasion of Italy. It contains torture, murder and suicide, as well as some of Puccini's best known arias.

For everything you need to plan your winter escape to the Vineyard, visit MVY.com! Find more events and information for Martha's Vineyard .

Plymouth County is delighted to share the 2018 lineup for John Carver Inn's "Dinner Theatre"! A night of Comedy, Mystery, Music and More is paired with an exquisite meal, a cash bar, and endless laughs. Dinner Theatre is hosted on Friday and Saturday evenings, January 13-April 14, with doors opening at 7 pm. View John Carver's flyer here, to find package deals for the show and an overnight stay. Find more events and information for Plymouth County.

"Follow the yellow brick road" to The Wizard of Oz, take a journey in Romanticism in Sense & Sensibility, go out on some Bad Dates or take flight with Soaring Wings, a Chinese balletic dance drama. Prefer the visual arts? Then open your gifts with Henry James & American Painting and his friend, Isabella Stewart Gardner, the works of local artist Annette Lemieux at the MFA, the aesthetic legacy of the iconic Georgia O'Keeffe or say "cheese" with Nicholas Nixon at the ICA. For foodies & wine lovers, BOSTON gifts include fireside dining, special wine paring dinners and the Boston Wine Festival uncorks on January 12.  Lace up your skates at Frog Pond and on City Hall Plaza, or gift yourself to a comedy show, concert or culinary tours & treats! Find more events and information for Greater Boston. 

Love train-spotting? The Amherst Railway Society holds its Railroad Hobby Show at the Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds in West Springfield Massachusetts Jan. 27-28.  The event features real-life railroads and scale model railroads, historical societies, art exhibits, flea market dealers, importers, manufacturers and much more. Modelers' exhibits range from the tiny Z scale to a monster 80 foot N-Trak system. The Amherst Belt Lines (an HO scale model railroad) has over 11 scale miles of track! Find more events and information for Greater Springfield.

The hustle and bustle of the holidays are over. What better time for a leisurely visit to the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, to explore the history of Jewish art and migration in Russia? "Migration & Memory: Jewish Artists of the Russian and Soviet Empires" explores the creative responses and historical trajectories of Jewish artists born, trained, or active in the Russian and Soviet Empires from the start of World War I in 1914 to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Find more events and information for Johnny Appleseed Country.